Ballet documentary "Afternoon of a Faun" at Rosendale Theater

Friday

Mar 7, 2014 at 2:55 PM

Fleeting yet haunting

Fleeting yet haunting

Considered one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century, french-born Tanaquil Le Clercq quickly rose to prima status in George Ballanchine's School of American Dance. She is the subject of a documentary biography that covers her early years, her tragic collapse from polio at the age of 27, and her stoic battle with the disease that took her ability to dance but could never rob her of her passion for dance.

The film, "Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq," by director Nancy Buirski, brings this amazing dancer's life into vivid detail using historic footage, spoken excerpts from her correspondence with choreographer Jerome Robbins (who lost her love to ballet master George Ballanchine) and other significant people in her life. Here the harsh rigors all dancers face are examined and portrayed with courage and dignity — they know their time in the limelight is brief.

This screening is part of the Dance Film Sundays held the second Sunday of every month at the Rosendale Theatre.